Ask the CEO (1) - Alex Bainbridge, Tour CMS

Today 'Ask the CEO' features Alex Bainbridge from the UK travel technology company TourCMS.

1. What problem (s) your company is trying to solve? (quick snapshot of the company)

TourCMS provides online booking and booking management capability to niche tour operators and accommodation providers. Traditionally this style of software has been expensive to purchase and support due to being installed locally to the travel company. We use web technologies to provide the same software service but at a very different price point. Additionally, being web based, this means that companies can work over multiple geographic locations with ease. Check out our case studies here.

2. How did you finance your venture?

I spent several years working as a travel technology consultant / contractor. That created sufficiently large a pot to build up a business with zero external investment. Having said that, the pot didn't quite stretch sufficiently so bootstrapping using credit cards etc was necessary.

However, if you think about it, what costs the most with travel technology projects is buying specialist people with the correct skills. If you happen to have the skills yourself then it is surprising what you can deliver with minimal budget, especially in today's climate of cloud computing that has decimated hardware / hosting costs.

The TourCMS service was also revenue generating from day 1 and not reliant on the ups and downs of online advertising.

3. In a difficult climate of uncertainty, how do you attract talents to join you adventure?

Travel technology people have a glass ceiling within travel companies. The chances are that they will never lead the company because, quite rightly, that goes to someone with travel product / commercial background. Where do the travel technology guys go when they get to a certain level? Normally to work for travel technology companies where their potential as travel technology people can be fully realised. 

4. Could you explain your revenue model

We have companies paying on a monthly / quarterly subscription basis for access to our technology and web service. However 25% of our customer base use the system for free - but at least we know that if people are using us for free they are not looking at competitor products [we hope!]

5. Who gives you inspiration when you feel down whilst leading your company?

Anyone wearing a suit. I go to travel industry conferences and everyone is wearing a suit. I keep telling myself that never want to have to wear a suit so had better make the company work. 

...and 5 Trivia Questions

a/ Fave hotel experience

Enjoyed the State Tower http://www.lebua.com/ in Bangkok last year. Any hotel where you have to have a 30 minute briefing in order to learn how to use all the features gets a thumbs up from me. Wasn't entirely sure about having to sign a document saying we wouldn't jump out of the window before they agreed to unlock the balcony window though!

b/ Mac or PC?

PC but my phone is an iphone.

c/ Explorer or Firefox?

Google Chrome. Fastest for me for web based applications like TourCMS

d/ MP3 or CD?

Don't really listen to music that much. I don't own a single MP3 but do have a few CDs knocking around. 

e/ Twitter or Facebook?

Twitter. I am not on Facebook. 

Being on the web so much from a business context it could be very confusing having a personal context online as well. e.g. I am constantly turning down Linkedin link requests from people I have never spoken to. While it is great that people want to connect, Linkedin links should be used to reflect real world links. Real world comes first. Being on facebook would complicate matters even more and introduce a whole new set of people I could potentially upset by not linking to correctly.

Comments

[Guillaume Thevenot]

Great to see that the post connect people together

@Jeff - thanks. Stay tune

@Aron h - Agree totally. If you can show revenue from day 1, it would much easier to offset the debts you may have for the first 6 months in operations. But it will be interesting to see how other CEOs have funded their venture.

@Marlena - that's a very good question I am going to ask on Twitter

[Marlena Sheinbein]

How come the hospitality industry seems not to serve and market to travelers/guests with disabilities? Marlena Sheinbein

[Josiah from HotelMarketingStrategies.com]

Guillaume and Alex - I really enjoyed this interview. Great format.

As a startup entrepreneur myself, I appreciated hearing how you financed the business - and your business model. Being able to generate revenues from day 1 is very important, and much more sustainable than just trying to attract eyeballs.

And...that Bangkok hotel looks amazing. I'll have to check that out...

[aron.h]

wow what a nice post i like , i really astonished from your post.
keep writing more
thanks

[Jeff]

Guillaume--great new feature, I look forward to future editions :)

[Alex Bainbridge]

@Guillaume - Thanks for the interview! Enjoyed it!

@Muzi - yes - we are open for business from any country. We are mid project with a South African tour operator at the moment! 50% of our customers are currently outside of the UK - and that percentage is growing month on month.

[Muzi Mohale]

Interesting service Alex, would be interested to know if South African based tour operators can use your software?